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To urge the Congress of the United States to | 1 |
appropriate funds for the construction of the | 2 |
United States Customs Plaza for the New | 3 |
International Trade Crossing between the United | 4 |
States and Canada. | 5 |
WHEREAS, Canada is the largest foreign trade partner for the | 6 |
United States and the largest export destination for products from | 7 |
38 states, including Ohio. In 2012, Canada purchased more than | 8 |
$102 billion in goods from Midwestern states; and | 9 |
WHEREAS, More than 8 million United States jobs depend on | 10 |
trade with Canada, approximately 1.5 million of these jobs are in | 11 |
Midwestern states, and 2.4 million Canadian jobs depend on trade | 12 |
with the United States; and | 13 |
WHEREAS, In 2012, Canadians visited Midwestern states | 14 |
approximately 8 million times and spent $1.7 billion, while | 15 |
Americans from Midwestern states made over 6 million visits to | 16 |
Canada and spent over $1.6 billion; and | 17 |
WHEREAS, President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Stephen | 18 |
Harper have acknowledged the significance of the relationship | 19 |
between the United States and Canada by issuing joint action plans | 20 |
in 2011 to boost security, trade, and travel between the two | 21 |
countries. However, the current bridge between Detroit, Michigan | 22 |
and Windsor, Ontario, which carries one-fourth of all trade | 23 |
between the United States and Canada, is eighty-four years old. A | 24 |
new international trade crossing has been proposed and will have a | 25 |
significant impact on the economies of both the United States and | 26 |
Canada, creating 10,000-15,000 construction jobs and thousands of | 27 |
additional indirect jobs throughout the region; and | 28 |
WHEREAS, The State of Michigan and Transport Canada have | 29 |
signed an agreement to enter into a public-private partnership to | 30 |
finance and build the New International Trade Crossing. Further, | 31 |
the province of Ontario has invested hundreds of millions of | 32 |
dollars in the approach to the New International Trade Crossing, | 33 |
and the United States government has issued a presidential permit | 34 |
that allows for land acquisition and construction of the New | 35 |
International Trade Crossing to proceed; and | 36 |
WHEREAS, The New International Trade Crossing is vital to | 37 |
ensuring the ongoing viability of existing trade between Ohio and | 38 |
Canada, and will lay the foundation for future productivity, | 39 |
growth, and economic stability of local economies across the | 40 |
Midwest region of the United States; now therefore be it | 41 |
RESOLVED, That we, the members of the 130th General Assembly | 42 |
of the State of Ohio, in adopting this resolution, strongly urge | 43 |
the Congress of the United States to appropriate the necessary | 44 |
funds for the construction of the United States Customs Plaza for | 45 |
the New International Trade Crossing between the United States and | 46 |
Canada; and be it further | 47 |
RESOLVED, That the Clerk of the House of Representatives | 48 |
transmit duly authenticated copies of this resolution to the | 49 |
Speaker and Clerk of the United States House of Representatives, | 50 |
the President Pro Tempore and Secretary of the United States | 51 |
Senate, the members of the Ohio Congressional delegation, and the | 52 |
news media of Ohio. | 53 |